


Complications May Arise

by italianice15



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Language, M/M, Mentions of Death, Sexual Content, Unstable Bucky, Unstable Tony
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-08-22 16:25:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8292335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/italianice15/pseuds/italianice15
Summary: Tony and Bucky cannot stand to be around each other. This causes some problems in the whole effort of getting the team back together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had another Bucky/Tony story that accideny got deleted. I really have no idea how, but I hope this one lives up to the other one. Sorry, if you were reading the other story and now it's just gone. Hope you like this story!

Bruce sat in the middle of the palpable tension in the kitchen. By unfortunate coincidence, everyone in the whole godamned tower was hungry at the exact same time. Clint and Natasha threw fleeting, angry glances to each other, while Tony and Steve stared daggers at each other. Anyone could have felt the hatred between the two. Clint blocked the doorway, Natasha leaned against the refrigerator, and Tony and Steve were standing in front of the cabinets. This left Bruce to sit awkwardly at the island in the middle of the kitchen, waiting for somebody to do something. Bruce wasn't entirely sure what all had transpired during his time away, but from the stories he'd heard, it was nothing good. He glanced around the kitchen one more time, seeing the clear divide between his friends. Clint and Natasha, two of the closest people on the team, couldn't stand to be around one another. Tony and Steve, who were prone to arguments before, often broke into physical fights more than once a day. Natasha must have grown tired of standing and sat across from Bruce at the island. Still, the crippling silence did not permit Bruce to get some food from the fridge and skedaddle the hell out of there. He sat quietly with his head down and his hands clasped together. He could feel Natasha looking at him. Her eyes bore into the top of his head as he stared into the marble countertop. It was too damn early in the morning for this.

" Sir, you have a meeting in one hour. I suggest that you get ready.", JARVIS reminded Tony.

" Thanks, pal.", he acknowledged, but stayed planted where he was.

" Aren't you going to listen to him. He told you to get ready. I'm sure that meeting is very important.", Steve said snidely.

" Well, if you had listened, you would've heard him say that he suggested I get ready. He didn't tell me to do anything.", Tony replied with his infamous, shit-eating smile. Steve did not find this humorous. His blonde brows tightened and his fists clenched, but he stayed put, just like Tony had. Bruce braced himself for flying fists and dishes. Clint began tapping his fingers against the doorframe, something he knew Natasha hated. She took a deep breath, but stayed seated on the stool. Bruce could feel his heart rate begin to rise, his breathing growing faster and faster. Forgetting his growling stomach, he got up from his stool slowly, not wanting to agitate himself further. With Clint still in front of the doorway, glaring at Natasha, Bruce had to catch the archer's attention, even though he was standing right in front of him.

" Excuse me, Clint.", he said lowly. Clint didn't break eye contact with Natasha, but he wordlessly moved out of Bruce's way. On the way to the elevator to the lab, Bruce caught a glimpse at the clock. It was five thirty in the morning. Today was sure to be fun.

\--

Bucky sat alone in the park. He had recently been let out of cryogenic stasis and had been getting help from the best scientists, doctors, and therapists T'challa could find. It had done the ex-assassin a lot of good. Though they were all highly trained professionals hellbent on making Bucky better again, they respected Bucky's need to take his treatments slowly. They were nothing like the pushy, ruthless, terrifying men who had worked on Bucky before. Now, he sat on a park bench in New York City with no threat of a panic attack in sight. His compulsive need to scan the area for danger stuck around, but the doctors said that, in his line of work, it could be useful. Bucky was now an honorary Avenger. He didn't live in the tower and he picked and chose which missions he went on, but he was, unbeknown to himself, a very valuable team member. He looked up at the cloud covered sky. He could feel it in his bones, the familiar way the early autumn made his body relax. He had always loved the colder seasons, contrary to popular belief. There was a little part of him that couldn't wait for the snow to start falling. When Bucky saw snow, that meant he was outside, and when he was outside, he was free, if only for a little while. His blue eyes gazed upon everyone walking around him with the knowledge that none of them were going to attack him, and that he didn't have to kill any of them. It was a nice feeling. Strange, foreign, but nice.

" Bucky, I have to talk to you.", Bruce suddenly appeared by his side. Bucky tensed, but didn't cause any physical harm to his new friend.

" I'm sorry, I know you don't like when people do that. It's just that everyone at the tower hates each other. You were on Steve and Clint's side, right? Could you talk to them. I've tried to get through to Tony, but you know how stubborn he is. He won't budge. I-I need you to try to get through to them.", there was something about Bruce that let Bucky know he was at his wit's end. His eyes were bloodshot, the bags under his eyes were deeper and darker, and his hands shook. Bucky nodded, his eyes reassuring the man the he'd help him. 

" Thank you, Bucky.", Bruce sighed, putting his head in his hands. Bucky saw how broken up Bruce was over this dilemma and wanted to cheer him up somehow. Going through the mental notes he'd made on Bruce, he remembered that Bruce loved tea. All kinds of tea, hot tea, cold tea, except for bubble tea. Bruce did not associate himself with bubble tea.

" Come on.", Bucky stood up and Bruce followed. There was a place that sold nothing but tea a few blocks from the park. 

" How have you been?", Bruce asked Bucky as they walked. Bruce promised T'challa when Bucky came back to New York that he would keep an eye on Bucky and Bruce had didn't seem to take it lightly. 

" I'm fine.", Bucky nodded, weaving through people on the crowded sidewalk. Before his treatments, this would have been Bucky's worst nightmare, but today it was only mildly concerning.

" You sure?", Bruce pressed lightly.

" Well, I am me, so I'm pretty sure.", Bucky joked. The genuine humor assured Bruce that his friend was fine. He knew the subtle difference between someone telling the truth and someone trying to make you think it was the truth. 

" That makes sense.", Bruce replied. They talked a bit more, laughed some, heard a honk and saw Tony's car speeding down the street to some big building, then they arrived to The Tea House. 

" What is this place?", Bruce asked, marveling at the Indian inspired decorations and the smell of brewing tea leaves. 

" How can I help you?", a bubbly blonde behind the counter asked.

" One large green tea, please.", Bucky responded. The lack of hesitation was a good sign, Bruce noted. The young woman handed them a number and they sat at a table in the corner. Shortly, Bruce had his tea and sipped it happily.

" So, what, exactly, is going on back at the tower?", Bucky asked.

" Well, there's a lot of fighting, mostly between Tony and Steve. Clint and Natasha don't talk much anymore, other than when they're yelling. Thor's in Asgard, so there's no one to make them hug it out. I have no idea what to do.", Bruce explained. Bucky nodded, exhaling deeply and leaning back in his seat.

" I'll talk to Steve. I don't think Tony would listen to me."

" You'd be willing to talk to Tony?", Bruce straightened up, his eyebrows rising in question.

" Yeah, maybe. I don't think it'd be too good up here, but if it would help Steve and Natalia, I think I'd be up for it.", Bucky tapped his head, wary of the memories he had of what he did. The catch of no more panic attacks and sudden flashbacks was that he was able to calmly remember everything. The images in his head were crisp and clear and horrible, but he managed.

" Wow, Bucky. That's very...noble of you.", Bruce smiled and sipped his tea. They dropped the subject and moved on to several others. They enjoyed their time together, as they didn't see each other very often anymore. Bucky stayed at the tower for a while, but found his own apartment and lived there now. They stayed at The Tea House for three hours, just talking and laughing like old friends.

" I guess I better get back. I promised to help Tony with some stuff in the lab and I'm sure he's finished with his meeting by now. See ya later, Bucky.", Bruce waved goodbye. Bucky decided to leave, too. He went home to his apartment and turned on the tv. His apartment offered the international cable package and now he could keep up with whole world from his couch. Even so, sometimes he binged on The Real Housewives Of New Jersey. It was one of his few guilty pleasures and he would rather die a slow, painful death than let anyone find out about it. While he watched the women yell prophanities at each other, he retrieved a pot of oil and oiled up his arm. The colder weather made it stiff and squeaky. Then there was a knock on his door. Faster than he'd like to admit, Bucky turned the tv off and went to answer it.

" I heard you wanted to speak to me.", Tony said bluntly. 

" What?", Bucky cocked his head to the side.

" I go to The Tea House, too. My meeting ended early and I heard you and Bruce talking.", Tony explained.

" Oh.", was all Bucky offered.

" So, you wanna get to it?", Tony pushed. If anyone knew how strained relations between Steve and Tony were, Bucky and Tony's relationship was worse, just less apparent. Every time Tony saw Bucky, he saw his parents' murderer. Every time Bucky saw Tony, he saw the kid he orphaned. Needless to say, they couldn't stand to be in the same room. So, for Tony to show up here by his own free will and for Bucky to let him sit on his couch was leaps and bounds for the both of them. 

" You know how things are back at the tower?", Tony asked.

" Only from what I've heard from Bruce and Natalia. Steve doesn't like to talk about it.", Bucky answered. 

" I'll try to be as unbiased as possible. Natasha and I prefer to keep to ourselves, while Steve and Clint like to poke and prod, like they always do.", he said with poorly hidden contempt. Bucky didn't appreciate his tone, but let Tony continue.

" I have been wanting to talk to Steve for a while, but he doesn't take me seriously. He always brings up the Accords and how they failed and how 'I got them all put in prison'.", Tony made highly exaggerated air quotes. 

" So, even though we aren't on any better terms, I thought I'd ask for your help.", Tony looked Bucky straight in the eye. Bucky was convinced this was a joke until he saw the sincerity in Tony's expression.

" Are you serious?"

" Am I laughing?"

" How would I be able to help you?"

" We resolve out issues, or make it seem like we did. Steve and Natasha are real tight with you and if we have people from both sides of the tracks on your side, it'll bring everyone else together. I'm not just talking about us. I'm talking about T'challa, Sam, Scott, Rhodey, hell, even the government. It'll do everyone some good if we talk all our shit out.", Tony made himself comfortable leaning against the arm of the chair. Bucky did the same and they faced each other silently for a long time before they talked. They knew this way the fastest step in the right direction, but how the hell would they start this off? 

" Uh...", Bucky hesitated.

" First off, we start from the beginning. My parents. It's the biggest elephant in the room.", Tony said uncomfortably.

" Okay. I'm...sorry I killed them."

" Really? That's all you have to say?", Tony spat.

" Tony, we've already been through this."

" If by 'been through this', you mean you and Steve tag-teaming me in an abandoned HYDRA building then leaving me, then our last attempt didn't go so well, did it?", Tony retorted hotly.

" Look, I'm really sorry. Like, I can't express how sorry I am. I don't know what else to say. I want all this to be cleared up between us, believe me, but I don't know how. What do you want me to do?", Bucky grew more frustrated. Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

" What I want is for you to do more than say sorry. People have been telling me that my whole life and I know it doesn't mean anything.", Tony fired back.

" I can't bring your parents back if that's what you want."

" No, I know you can't do that. Truth be told, Barnes, I think this is just unresolved anger from all that time ago. I never dealt with it and seeing you brings it all back up.", Tony said honestly. Bucky understood Tony's hatred. Bucky hated himself for the things he did under HYDRA's control. 

" But I understand now that it wasn't really you who killed my parents and all those other people. I still miss my mom, but I guess it isn't your fault after all.", Tony seemed to be thinking out loud, rather than talking to Bucky. Bucky sat still and listened, though. He figured the least he could do was wait out Tony's mental process. Tony sat for a long time and didn't say a word. He stared down at the couch cushions and furrowed his dark brows.

" I've thought about it. I want us to be friends, right? Then I've got to forgive you. Bucky Barnes, consider yourself a forgiven man.", Tony nodded and smiled. This was an odd display, but Bucky kept his mouth shut.

" Um, thank you.", he offered awkwardly. Tony kept looking at him, as he seemed to make the decision of forgiving Bucky before asking himself if he was okay with it and now it was too late. 

" Yep, clean slate."

" Tony, don't-"

" No, really! The only people who are at fault are the HYDRA agents. You were just their puppet. They're the assholes, not you.", Tony cut Bucky off.

" Fine. You wanna talk about the Accords?", Bucky asked, desperate to change the subject.

" To my knowledge, you didn't know all that much about them."

" Well, I kinda didn't."

" Then no. That's for Steve and I to discuss.", Tony said distantly.

" You know Steve wants things back to the way they were, too, don't you?", Bucky asked.

" If things went back to the way they were, you wouldn't be here. Neither would Scott, T'challa, Sam, Wanda, or Peter.", Tony pointed out. Bucky shrugged, guessing Tony was right. 

" Maybe I was too eager to think that we could get through all this in a night. Tomorrow night sound okay?", Tony got up from the couch.

" Yeah, tomorrow sounds fine.", Bucky agreed, getting up to show Tony out. 

" See ya then.", Tony waved.

" See ya.", Bucky closed the door and looked at the clock. The Real Housewives was over.


	2. Chapter 2

Bucky let some things roll over in his head as he ended the life of a punching bag in the Stark Tower gym. First of all, he thought about how well the team was doing since he and Tony cleared things up. It had taken a month to do so, but it really did pay off. Secondly, he couldn't stop thinking about Tony. There wasn't anything in particular that he was focused, just Tony's general being occupied his mind. It pissed him off because the thoughts grew progressively naughtier as the days went on, but he didn't find himself actively seeking other things to think about. For example, the way Tony's eyes went from a gorgeous, dark brown to a mesmerizing goldy-orange color when he faced the evening sunset. Bucky noticed it on Tony's third visit to his apartment and purposely kept the window open, as they often talked late into the night. In relatiation to this discovery, Bucky dragged Bruce out one evening and tried to search for the same feeling he got when he looked at Tony's eyes. Sure, Bruce's similarly dark eyes looked quite dashing in the sunset, but there was something off. They weren't Tony's eyes. As a result, Bucky grew frustrated at even the mention of Tony's name. Not outwardly, that would diminish all the work he and Tony had done, but his jaw clenched tight and his breathing microscopically quickened. Even Natasha and Steve were clueless to Bucky's growing crush. 

" Godammit.", Bucky grumbled as he realized that it was, in fact, a crush. Never in his long life would he have imagined that a bull-headed jackass would capture his heart the way Tony Stark had. Not to say that the problem was that Tony was a guy. Bucky long ago accepted the fact that he liked having sex with a man just as much as he liked having sex with a woman and he knew for damn sure than Tony would hump anything with a heartbeat. Wait, was he really thinking of having sex with Tony? Jesus, he needed some sleep. With a quickness, Bucky made his way down to the lab and inwardly rejoiced when he saw Bruce.

" Hey, Bruce. I got a question.", he said as he neared the workbench.

" Whatcha got?", Bruce looked up.

" You got any bottles of sleeping pills?", Bucky asked.

" I don't think I do, but maybe Tony does. Why, are you still having trouble sleeping? They probably wouldn't work because of the serum."

" That's why I asked for bottles. Thanks anyway, I'll leave Tony's pills alone. I know he has his own issues with sleep.", Bucky said. He turned to leave, but Bruce called him back.

" Bucky! Actually, if you don't mind, could you help me with something. It'll only be a second.", well, a second turned into four hours of Bucky holding one of the lab's robot arm things with the laser. That's how Bucky described them, anyway. Bruce welded something, soldered something else, repositioned the arm, and did it all over again. It was really no trouble because Bucky had a lot of free time on his hands and he enjoyed helping his friends when he could, but the very particular positions he had to be in for Bruce to repair the arm made his muscles cramp up. He didn't say anything because he didn't want Bruce to feel bad, but his back and his thighs were starting to kill him. 

" Turn it a little bit to the right.", Bruce instructed from underneath a welding helmet. Bucky did as he was told, relieved when the small movement let the muscles in his arm relax. He held it until Bruce asked him to carry it off to the side on a big metal shelf. That's when he saw Tony staring at him. 

\--

Tony could not tear his eyes away from the sweaty, glistening, strong Bucky. His muscles flexed splendidly as he repositioned the metal arm. And when he carried it to the 'Work On It Later' shelf, Tony almost had to excuse himself. 

" Excuse me.", Bucky said, ripping Tony back to reality.

" Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to be in your way.", Tony stumbled over his words. Bucky placed the robot arm on the shelf, said goodbye to Bruce and Tony, the latter as a sort of after thought, and left.

" The last time you stared at someone like that, Tony, I found you two in my bed.", Bruce playfully chastised.

" That was all a drunken mistake.", Tony defended himself. 

" Sure, but warn me first if Bucky becomes the new Clarissa.", Bruce laughed as he started working on something else. Tony had half a mind to make a smart remark, like he would usually do, but he thought it over for a moment. Having Bucky fuck him into next year didn't sound half bad. Maybe a little awkward afterwards, but he'd dealt with that kind of thing before. 

" I'll be right back.", he said hurriedly. He managed to find Bucky about to enter the elevator at the end of the hall. Like literally every other serious decision he'd ever made, Tony went with his went with his gut insitinct. That was to jump into Bucky's arms like he was in a bad teenage romance movie and fuse their mouths together with tongue and everything. Bucky went with it completely. He held Tony up and kept him close. The elevator doors closed and Bucky pinned Tony against the wall. Tony had his legs wrapped tight around Bucky's waist and he held onto the super soldier's arms for dear life. Bucky had Tony's perfectly round ass in his hands and he squeezed it torturously. Sooner than they liked, the doors opened and they detached from each other quickly. Out of breath and panicky, they exited the elevator and went separate ways. Tony went to his bedroom and Bucky walked to his apartment nine blocks away. He paced around his living room, his flesh and blood hand in his long hair and his metal hand on his hip. He paced like that for hours. What the hell was that? Was it real? God, he hoped it was. What should he do? What if Steve and the others found out? Would they tell Bucky to leave? Would they tell Tony to leave? His mind raced on and on and he walked until he almost wore a hole in the floor. 

\--

Tony sat at the door of his bed and stared at his dresser. What the hell had he just done? He probably screwed up all his hard work when Bucky tells Steve what he did. Did he assault a man in his elevator? Was he going to jail? There was a knock on his door and he jumped. He answered it cautiously, not really sure who to expect.

" What's the matter with you?", Natasha asked bluntly.

" Nice to see you, too.", Tony responded, fake offense in his tone. 

" I saw you walking up here and you looked all shaken. What's the problem?", she elaborated.

" Nothing, I'm fine now.", he lied. Natasha saw right through it.

" I'm on to you, Stark.", she poked his chest and left. Though her visit was short, sweet, and the least bit invasive, it didn't come near the top five oddest encounters Tony had ever had with the assassin. Tony closed his door again and ran his hands through his dark hair. He let out a long, heavy breath and propped onto his bed. He knew he wouldn't go to sleep, but it was the thought that counted. This was going to be one of his longer nights.

\--

Screw sleep. Bucky hadn't slept in years. He marched down the sidewalk in the early hours of the morning to Stark Tower. He knew Tony wouldn't be asleep, the two men were kindred, sleep deprived spirits. Once he was in the building, he went up to Tony's room and caught him in a very delicate position, moaning Bucky's name into a pillow, mind you. Yeah, Bucky screwed sleep, but he also screwed Tony.


	3. Chapter 3

" Fuck! Yes, right there!", Tony cried as Bucky obliterated his ass. Bucky held Tony's hips with an iron grip. Bucky leaned to add new hickies to Tony's neck. Tony arched his back as his prostate was blessedly assaulted over and over again. 

" Shit.", Bucky was close. Tony had already cum several times, creating quite the mess all over himself and the bed sheets. The super soldier serum gave Bucky amazing stamina, which Tony was reaping the benefits of right now. Bucky's hard thrusts began to stutter and Tony clenched around him. With a satisfied moan, he came inside Tony, filling the man with hot, sticky semen. Bucky pulled out and rolled to the side. They laid together, out of breath and silent. Their chests rose and fell fast as they caught their breath. Bucky didn't really think about what would happen afterward when all was said and done. Tony didn't say a word for a solid minute and Bucky took that as his cue to leave. He got up and dressed himself, the search for his clothes was a little weird when the man he pounded into the mattress was watching him. He left the tower without looking back. 

\--

Tony watched Bucky walk out. He wanted to protest, but based on how quickly Bucky gathered his things, Tony guessed he didn't want to stay. So he sat in his bed, all messy and naked. He laid there for an hour before he went to take a shower. He got dressed and changed the bed sheets, wiping away all the evidence of what had transpired the previous night. Something about balling up the sheets and putting them in the laundry seemed wrong. He didn't feel right when he straightened his messy sex hair. He remembered to hide his limp when he walked into the kitchen and Clint and Steve were there.

" Good morning, Tony."

" Morning, Tones.", Steve and Clint greeted. 

" Morning.", he offered back. His throat was hoarse and he was worn out. He started making himself a cup of coffee.

" Sir, you have a conference in two hours. Also, Director Fury would like Black Widow and Captain America's assistance on a mission.", JARVIS informed. Tony looked to Steve, who nodded and seemed alright with the request. 

" I'll go tell Natasha.", he stepped away from the cabinet and left. Clint left, too, mumbling something about scaring Natasha behind the door. Tony went up to his room to get ready for his meeting. He got dressed in a black Armani suit and left the tower. 

\--

Bucky walked in the park alone. Natasha called to cancel their lunch arrangements because she and Steve would be gone for a couple of weeks. This left Bucky with his whole day open, just like every other day. He usually spent his time at the gym in the tower, but he figured things would be too awkward there without Steve. Still, he had an urge to go back. He started walking the sidewalks aimlessly and wasn't surprised one bit when he ended up at Stark Tower. He passed it by without a second glance, but was startled when he heard someone call his name. 

" Bucky! Wait up!", he turned around and saw Tony emerging from his car. He jogged to Bucky and they started walking together.

" Where ya off to?", Tony asked casually.

" Home. Where did you come from?", Bucky looked at his suit.

" Conference.", Tony said dreadfully.

" Sounds boring."

" It was.", once the small talk was over, the discomfort set in. Were they just supposed to start up a conversation about last night.

" You okay?", Bucky asked. The guilty look on his face told Tony that he was asking about his well-being because of his apparent waddle. Due to the intensity of the activity and the lack of preparation or lube led to Tony's current walking pattern. Also, his metal hand left noticeable bruises that caught Bucky's eye before he left.

" Yeah, I'm fine.", so they were going to talk about it.

" I know you're trying to hide it, but your limping.", Bucky pressed.

" Really, I'm fine. I've been through worse. I can handle a little pain in the ass. I'm a pain in the ass. Relax.", Tony said playfully, soothingly. Bucky hated hurting people and the thought of Tony in any amount of pain by his hand was unbearable. Well, maybe not by his hand, but by his dick. 

" Why are you so worried? You left pretty fast, I didn't think it meant that much.", Tony pondered.

" Tony, why would I walk all that way if I was just looking for sex?", Bucky asked bluntly with his no bullshit expression.

" Guess that makes sense.", Tony shrugged.

" Did it mean anything to you?", Bucky asked.

" Listen Bucky, I'm going to tell you the truth. I've been thinking about having sex with you for a while. Last night was great and I'd love for it to continue, if that's okay with you. I know we've had our worse moments, and you're tight with Steve and Natasha and I don't want to make anything weird. It can be our dirty little secret.", Tony suggested. Bucky thought it over and nodded.

" Yeah, sure, we can do that."

" Wow, you'd willingly keep a secret from Steve?", Tony's eyebrows rose.

" It's not the first time we've hidden things like this from each other.", Bucky reasoned. 

" Things like this?"

" Yeah, I mean, were not exactly dating. We fucked once."

" Is your apartment close?", Tony asked.

" It's over there.", Bucky pointed to a building across the street.

" Wanna make it twice?"

\--

Tony had his face buried in the pillow, fists in the blankets, and bite marks lining his spine. Bucky did not fail to outshine his precious performance in bed. Tony, a nonreligious man, praised God profusely as Bucky fucked the daylights out of him. Bucky banged him like a screen door in a hurricane. 

" Yes, Bucky! Oh, God!", Tony extolled. Bucky's firm grip on Tony's hips held steady as he slammed into him. The bed rocked and creaked and it knocked against the wall. Decency was thrown out the window when Tony refused to quiet himself down for the sake of the neighbors. Hopefully, they all had jobs to be at right now. Bucky reached around Tony's front with his right hand and stroked his erection. Tony reacted by thrusting into Bucky's hand and pushing back to deepen Bucky's thrusts. 

" You like that?", Bucky teased.

" Please m-more.", Tony begged. To say that Bucky went above and beyond expectations was a gross understatement, borderline blasphemy. In the end, Tony laid completely wrecked next to Bucky. His eyes were wide, his chest rose and fell heavily, and he was, for once, speechless.

" Now I know how to get you to shut up.", Bucky joked. Tony didn't seem to hear him. Bucky rolled over and waved his metal hand in front of Tony's face.

" Hello? Earth to Tony."

" I've had sex with guys before, but never like that.", Tony said breathlessly.

" Thanks?", Bucky cocked an eyebrow.

" It's totally a compliment. We can be fuck buddies forever if it means I can get some of that action again."

" Glad I could be of service.", Bucky laid back down. He thumped his fingers against his chest, not entirely sure what to do next. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. The bedroom door was left wide open and Bucky shot up to slam it shut.

" Be there in a minute!", he yelled. He quickly got dressed and threw Tony his clothes. 

" Closet.", he shoved Tony a little roughly into the decent sized closet. He rushed to answer the door and found Clint standing there.

" I'm bored.", Clint said with not so much as a 'how do you do' in sight.

" So?"

" Nobody's at the tower."

" Bruce is there."

" He's in the lab and I'm not allowed in the lab."

" And that's my problem because?"

" Look, there's this movie that just came out and I want to go see it, but I don't want to go to the movies alone because then I'll look lonely.", Clint puffed.

" But you are lonely. You showing up here to ask me to go with you is proving how lonely you are.", Bucky countered.

" Will you come or not?", Clint grew impatient.

" Fine, let me get my shoes.", Bucky relented. If he left, that would give Tony time to get the hell out of here. Bucky walked back to his bedroom and opened to closet. There stood an unimpressed Tony, now fully clothed.

" Sorry, Clint wants to go to the movies.", Bucky explained. He reached for some shoes when Tony swatted his hand away.

" No, these go better with your shirt.", he handed Bucky a pair of blue and black sneakers. 

" You can get out of here. I mean, if you want to. If you want to stay-"

" Clint's still waiting.", Tony interrupted him.

" Shit, you're right. See ya, I guess.", and with that, Bucky was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

" Russia's finest, get your half frozen ass down here!", Fury bellowed as he entered the tower.

" My apologies, Director Fury, but Sergeant Barnes is not here at the moment.", JARVIS interjected.

" Where is he?", Fury looked up at the ceiling. 

" His last reported location was at his apartment.", JARVIS answered. Fury mumbled a few choice words and left the tower. He walked with a purpose toward Bucky's apartment. He needed Bucky to assist Natasha and Steve on a mission in Russia because they'd run into a little bit of trouble. And a little bit of trouble was the loss of both their coordinates and no response to distress teams. Fury knew Bucky would be the best shot at getting them back safely. So on he went, determined to get Bucky to help.

\--

Bucky got dressed in his best clothes that didn't give away the fact that he was going to see Tony. Officially, they'd been dating for a month. Nobody knew, it was still their dirty little secret, but they were happy. Someone knocked on the door and he thought it was Tony. He was much here earlier than the time they'd agreed on. Despite that, Bucky rushed to the door, jumping over the couch along the way.

" Fury?"

" Barnes, Steve and Natasha haven't been responding to us and we need you to find them.", Fury said without hesitation. Sugar coating things was a waste of time and they didn't have a lot of that at the moment. 

" What?"

" Are you deaf? I'll tell Clint to let you borrow a hearing aid. Read my lips, son. Steve and Natasha need you. Now.", he was just about yelling at this point. Bucky turned sharply back into his apartment, leaving the door open, and went to the closet in the hallway.

" What in the name of Saint Mary are you doing, USSR's Next Top Model?", Fury marched in after Bucky. The blue eyed man returned half a second later with a duffel bag over his shoulder, shoving parts to a collapsible AK-47 in it. Fury could see clothes, bulletproof armor, and a few other necessities inside the bag.

" Let's go.", Bucky said with as much alertness as Fury. Not questioning where and why he had that bag ready to go, Fury and Bucky left. Discreetly, Bucky pulled his phone out of his pocket to cancel his and Tony's date. 

\--

The Quinjet was up and running and Bucky was given a few more details of his mission. He was to go alone to Russia. They couldn't risk more people getting lost and they knew Bucky wouldn't bullshit around. He was clad in the dark clothes and bulletproof armor from his duffel bag. 

" Godspeed, Barnes.", Fury offered as the door to the Quinjet closed and Bucky took off. He left his regular clothes and his phone at the SHIELD headquarters. About an hour after Bucky left, his phone started lighting up with missed calls and texts from one person. The constant vibrations on the table from the device drove Fury insane. He snatched the phone up and answered the thousandth call. He was cut off before he could say one word.

" Bucky, I don't know what the hell you were thinking, but I snooped around SHIELD's files and you are not going to Russia alone! I know Steve and Natasha are in danger and everything, but you can't just throw yourself into this! God, Bucky, are you suicidal. I thought we agreed that we'd talk about one of us leaving for a mission, or, at least, let each other know if we were going away. Fuck, I don't even know how long you're gonna be gone. What if you get hurt? What if you die? What do you have to say for yourself, Bucky?", Tony ended his rant. Fury had been kind enough to let Tony vent his frustrations, but had compiled a list of complaints.

" First off, Stark, this isn't Barnes. Secondly, I don't like your tone very much. He will be fine, you can calm your worried wife ass down.", Fury said.

" Fury, what the hell-"

" I'm not finished. Why are you looking through SHIELD's files? I thought I told you not to do that anymore.", he added.

" I gotta go.", Tony hung up.

" That's what I thought. Look at MY files on MY helicarrier. Show some respect.", Fury tossed Bucky's phone back on the tabletop. 

\--

The Quinjet landed somewhere in the middle of Siberia around five o'clock in the morning. It was the dead of winter, the blizzard was blinding, but Bucky trudged through the hip high snow with no thoughts of doing anything else. He needed to find his friends. He could see the abandoned HYDRA building in the distance, despite the snow and wind. According to the annoying little beeping sound coming from the tracking device that he totally didn't need, that's where Steve and Natasha were. He moved quickly, but carefully through the snow. He could see the poorly trained guards from a mile away. Putting the silencer on his gun, he fired at them, inconspicuously picking them off one by one. They fell where they stood and Bucky pushed forward. Once he reached the building, he climbed up into an air duct and crawled. The beeping echoed in the narrow, metal space, so he turned it off and used his own skills, of which he relied on more than Tony's tech. It was nothing against the brunette man, he just wasn't a fan of technology, though he knew far more about it than Steve, which had its upsides. On he crawled, looking through every vent he passed along the way.

\--

Tony was up in the helicarrier creating all sorts of hell. 

" You sent him out by himself! Are you fucking stupid? Seriously, what were you thinking? If he comes back with a scratch on him, it's your ass, Fury!", Tony violently whispered to Fury. Fury turned around to face Tony from his place where he observed all the monitors. 

" I was thinking that he is the best, and possibly only, shot at getting them back safe and sound. And about that unstable thing, he's been treated. He can handle taking out some HYDRA agents and not going unstoppable-assassin-mode.", Fury almost made a comment about the phone call earlier, but he was classier than that. Maybe later, when they were alone, but not in front of everyone. Soon, Bruce and Clint joined Tony on the helicarrier. Tony had to hide the extent of his anxiety as they three of them sat and waited for an update on Bucky's whereabouts and condition. 

\--

Bucky kneed one soldier in the chest, breaking his ribs. He turned fast and caught one by the neck, snapping his vertabrae loudly. Taking the knife from his belt, he stabbed three more soldiers running at him. That seemed to be the last of them. Bucky looked at the sixty or so bodies laying around him. Natasha and Steve were hoisted on the wall, both unconscious, beaten, bruised, and bloody. He got them down and threw them over his shoulders. With his expertise in stealth, he snuck out all the doors, even though the guards were injured or dead. He couldn't risk someone else arriving and seeing him. Bucky got outside unseen and struggled through the snow. Now, it was up to his chest, plus the dead weight of Natasha and Steve wasn't helping him in the least. He cursed himself for landing the Quinjet so goddamn far away. Natasha mumbled incoherent things in Russian and Steve started twitching. Not soon enough, he got back to the Quinjet. Bucky strapped them into the seats and went back to the helicarrier. He went back out in the snow to carry out some unfinished business that Fury told him to do if he could. He had a back pack filled with explosives. He couldn't have made it back to the building fast enough. He set them up along the walls and walked a safe distance away. Once they detonated, he looked at the fire and felt the warmth radiate out into the cold, cold Siberian winter. 

\--

" Director Fury, the Quinjet's signal shows that it is making its way back.", an agent reported. Fury nodded and headed to the room Tony was in.

" Boys, Barnes is coming back. Should arrive sometime late tonight.", Fury walked through the door. They all let out a relieved sigh, but Tony's felt like he'd let out his last breath. Fury could feel the emotion running through Tony. They waited for Bucky to come back with baited breath. 

" I wonder how Natasha and Steve are doing.", Clint said, looking the part of a sad puppy.

" They're fine. They're the best of the best, right?", Bruce tried to be optimistic, but his drawn away demeanor did nothing to help.

" You okay over there, Tony?", Clint asked. Tony didn't say anything for a while, very unlike him, but uttered one sentence many moments later.

" You think he'll be alright?", Tony stared at the wall. 

" They'll all be fine. I'll fix them up myself.", Bruce nodded, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

" No, not physically. Do you think he'll have to go back to therapy?", there was too much concern in Tony's voice for it to be considered normal. However, Clint and Bruce chalked it up to his legendary anxiety and tendency to overthink things. 

" Why would he have to go back to therapy?", Clint seemed to have forgotten about the whole Winter Soldier thing. 

" No, Tony, he won't have to go back to therapy.", Bruce said. Tony realized how unusually concerned he sounded.

" Good, don't want him freaking out again.", he said offhandedly. It hurt him to the core as the words came out of his mouth. The door opened and an agent poked her head in.

" Director Fury told me to tell you that the Quinjet is five minutes away.", she informed them. Tony wanted to run out there and wait by the hangar, but left the room only after Clint and Bruce. They stood on the platform overlooking everything with Fury. Bruce and Clint waited eagerly by the railing, while Fury and Tony stood in the center.

" So, about earlier.", Fury started.

" I don't want to talk about it.", Tony rejected.

" I do. I don't care about what or who you do, Stark, but I need to know if there will be any problems connected to your...whatever you two call it.", Fury explained. They kept their voices calm and quiet so no one would hear them.

" What do you mean by problems?", Tony snapped.

" If we have another incident, like Loki, Ultron, or your team splitting up again, I need to be assured that you two will think clearly about everyone and not just each other. Priority of life, and all that.", Fury shrugged. Tony looked forward again, staring at the nighttime stars through the huge hangar windows. He was thinking of an answer when alarms went off and the hangar door opened. Seconds later, the Quinjet landed perfectly on the landing pad. The jet opened up and Bucky carried Natasha and Steve out. Every doctor, including Bruce, rushed to their aid. The three were taken to three separate examination rooms. Bucky was ridden with reluctance, but followed the doctors anyway. 

" Go, Tony. He looks nervous.", Fury nudged him. In two seconds flat, Tony was at Bucky's side. In all the commotion, no one saw their fingers intertwine and Tony led Bucky safely to one of the rooms. Bruce looked them all over and concluded that they'd all be fine, save a few days of rest and observation for Natasha and Steve back at the tower. Not wanting to raise suspicion, Tony detached his hand from Bucky's, but gave a small smile through the window as he was examined. Tony waited much more patiently now that he knew Bucky was safe. Once his check up was done, Fury brought Bucky his duffel bag.

" Change out of that, matryoshka doll. You did good work today.", Fury said. Bucky took the bag and thanked Fury. He glanced to Tony, who looked only slightly pissed off. Fury walked away, allowing Bucky and the rest of the team to leave. There was some discussion about how Natasha and Steve would be brought to the tower. They'd arrive separately from Tony, Bucky, Bruce, and Clint. Bucky and Clint argued, but that just resulted in the both of them looking out the back window of their jet to the one behind them. 

" They're flying too fast.", Clint critiqued the pilot behind them. Tony and Bruce kept to themselves for the duration of the trip. Once they landed on the landing pad on top of Stark Tower, Bruce and Clint carried Natasha and Steve to the medical bay in the lab. Tony, however, dragged Bucky aside in the hallway.

" What?", Bucky was confused by Tony's reaction. 

" Are you stupid?"

" I mean I'm not as smart as you, but-"

" I'm not joking. What you did was reckless."

" You're preaching to me about being reckless?"

" Bucky, you know what I mean. You could have gotten hurt. What if they caught you, too?", Tony had his brow deeply knit with worry.

" I would die before I let them get me again and, as we all know, it's not that easy to kill me.", his charming smile added some sweetness to the words. 

" You're not allowed to use that smile in serious situations.", he pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

" And you're not allowed to be cute when you're mad, but you don't see me complaining.", Bucky poked Tony's nose. The brown eyed man stood silently, inwardly pissed that, firstly, Bucky could just brush this off and, secondly, Bucky could charm his way out of an argument easier than he could. 

" Look, I'm fine. I promise. Once Bruce is done with Natalia and Steve, I'll get my own check up again and you can come with me this time.", Bucky offered. He must have been hellbent on convincing Tony that there was nothing to worry about because Bucky hated anything related to medicine with a fiery passion only Hell could contain. 

" No, you don't have to do that.", Tony declined.

" Unless you want to examine me yourself.", Bucky winked. Tony was immediately on board. However, the lab door opened and Bruce had news about Steve. Bucky and Tony parted and stiffened, listening to him speak. 

" He'll be out for a few days. His vitals are fine now and he shows signs of a full recovery. I estimate he was out for maybe three or four days.", Bruce led Tony and Bucky to Steve's bedside.

" And Natalia?", Bucky's voice was quiet.

" She...uh...she suffered worse wounds."

" How much worse?", Tony inquired.

" From what I can tell, she was starved for a week and beaten far worse than Steve was.", Bruce looked uncomfortable while he spoke. Not that he didn't want to say it, but that he seemed to be diverting some building anger deep down inside. 

" Can we see them?", Bucky asked after a moment.

" You might have to fight Clint about seeing Natasha. He barely lets me get close enough to check on her.", Bruce shook his head.

" I'll let him cool down. I'll stay with Steve.", Bucky said, grabbing a chair and sitting beside his best friend. Tony and Bruce left out of respect. Bucky folded his arms on the bed and rested his chin on them. His eyes glossed over the bed ridden blonde. He had bruises that should have healed up by now and gashes that looked to be infected. They should have been better by now. What did those HYDRA pricks do to his friends? Bucky swore that he would be the only thing standing in the way of HYDRA starting up again. He would do everything in his power to stop them and he knew, among the older HYDRA agents, only his name was enough for them to back off. Stewing in his anger wouldn't get him anywhere, so Bucky decided to talk to Steve.

" Hey, Stevie. I see you got yourself into trouble again. Can't stay away from a good fight, can you?", Bucky spoke softly to Steve. The only response he got was the steady, reassuring beeping from the monitors hooked up to Steve. 

" Bruce says you'll be fine and I already know him and Tony are looking at all kinds of doctor stuff to fix you and Natalia up. You're gonna be fine.", he continued. Bucky got a warm feeling when he mentioned Tony. The smile that grew on his face felt right when he thought about it. Then, something in the back of his head suggested telling Steve about Tony.

" Listen, I heard that, sometimes, people can hear stuff when they're out, like you are. I gotta tell you something important and I think it'll be easier this way because you have a knack for interrupting people.", Bucky joked.

" Uh, Tony and I, we, uh, we kinda got this thing going. I really like him a lot and I know you two have had your differences, but it'd be really great if you could be fine with this.", Bucky looked up at the closed eyes that held the blue eyes with small, green flecks. Bucky turned his head and rested his cheek on his arm. He saw a clock in the corner that said it was five forty-five in the morning. 

" Bucky, you wanna see Nat?", Clint entered Steve's room. Bucky straightened up and followed Clint to Natasha's door. The big window beside the door displayed Natasha's frail, beaten frame. Bucky felt like the slightest disturbance would break Natasha in half. He posted himself by the window next to Clint. 

" What did you see there?", Clint asked.

" What do you mean? There was a lot of snow.", Bucky glared, not too excited for the coming conversation.

" Were there a lot of people? Did they look like they were getting themselves on the ground again?"

" I got rid of everything.", he muttered. Clint nodded, satisfied with the answer. Bucky looked at all the wires and monitors surrounding Natasha. He could tell her vitals were where they were supposed to be and that, by her injuries, she would have a long recovery. She would push through, she always did. Natasha would not go out this way, she wouldn't let that happen. If she had any say, and she always had a say, she would go out much more dramatically than this. Bruce appeared again, walking into Steve's room and checking on him. Bucky watched, going back and forth between the rooms' windows. He paced for hours like a lion protecting his territory. Watchful, careful, calculating. Bruce saw him and grew worried. He couldn't let Bucky run himself into the ground. He walked out of Steve's room and approached him.

" Go away.", he stated, not meaning to sound so harsh.

" No.", Bucky refused.

" That wasn't a suggestion. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."

" Watch me.", Bucky tensed.

" I understand that these are your closest friends and you want to make sure they're okay, but you need rest. Do you think either one of them would want you down here driving yourself crazy? Think of what Natasha would do to you and how long Steve's lecture would be.", Bruce said. Bucky couldn't deny anything the good doctor said. With a huff, he turned away.

" I'll be back tomorrow.", Bucky called back defiantly.

" I know.", Bruce replied. 

\--

Bucky entered the common room and found Clint watching tv.

" Bruce kicked you out, too?", Clint asked.

" Yeah.", Bucky plopped down beside him.

" They'll be fine, right?"

" They have to be.", they were quiet for a long time after that.

" Sergeant Barnes, Sir requests your presence in the gym.", JARVIS said. Bucky got up, leaving Clint alone again, like he wanted to be. Clint dealt with things by himself. Not in a brooding, unhealthy way, but in a way where he thought everything out and processed it as he saw fit. Bucky knew that and didn't need to worry about the archer. He left and went to meet Tony.

" Hey.", Tony greeted when he arrived. Bucky didn't say a word, but wrapped his arms around Tony. The billionaire returned the gesture in kind. Hey held each other tight, not speaking because they didn't need to. Bucky knew Tony was worried about him and Tony knew Bucky was worried about his friends. Everyone was worried about each other and it didn't get much simpler than that. 

" Bruce said I had to go away.", Bucky sounded like a child.

" I'll yell at him later, but you do need to sleep.", Tony reasoned. Bucky gave Tony a look and Tony rolled his eyes. 

" Try to get some sleep. We can go to your place, if you want.", Tony drawled, drawing circles on Bucky's chest with his finger.

" I can deal with that. Besides, if I can't fall asleep there's always other things we can do.", Bucky returned. 

" We can have sex here if you don't want to leave."

" Nah, it wouldn't feel right with Natalia and Steve in the lab like they are. And Steve would want me to get laid in this time of need, trust me."

" Not with me, though.", Tony looked down. 

" Nope, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Come on, let's go break my bed.", Bucky led Tony out of the tower and to his apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

Steve and Natasha had gone through vigorous physical therapy with Bruce leading the way and Bucky right beside them. Steve had a shattered shoulder blade, so Bucky helped him be able to life his arm above a ninety degree angle again. Natasha had some broken ribs and a twisted knee, so Bruce did what he could. Clint had also given himself the role as nurse to Steve and Natasha, helping Bruce in any way he could. Bucky had to be given a certain number of hours in the medical bay, or he would never leave. When he was out, he and Tony resumed their secret relationship. Truthfully, it was beginning to get increasingly difficult to keep it under wraps. They hadn't spent much time together recently and that led to some pent up emotions that they needed to release, but couldn't. With Tony always in the public eye, he couldn't frequent the same apartment without drawing suspicion to himself and Bucky was normally gently, but firmly, kicked out of the tower by Bruce after nine o'oclok at night. Occasionally, Bucky and Tony got to go to the movies together, if they arrived separately. They could sit together in the dark and make out if the movie was bad and there weren't that many people in the theater, but that was as intimate as they got anymore. 

Tonight, Bucky walked home alone. He had his hood up over his head and he kept his gaze low. His jacket sleeves were pulled all the way down to cover his arm and his hands were stuffed in his pockets. Snow fell softly around him and the sidewalk was coated with a thin layer of ice. He saw the crowd growing outside Stark Tower and it infuriated him as the press blocked Tony from getting out of his car until he answered their questions. He was pretty sure that was very illegal and he wanted nothing more than to bash each and every one of their heads into the frozen concrete, but he walked on, knowing that would solidify his psycho-killer, American traitor, wartime flashback, uncontrollable murder craving persona and nobody needed that. He walked on without a second glance, reminding himself that if Tony was ever in any real trouble, he would use his repulser built into his watch to take care of it. He got to his apartment and looked out the window. He could see Stark Tower from his living room and saw that the crowd had only grown larger. He could see Tony was standing now and, if his huge, animated gestures meant anything, he was perfectly fine answering their annoying questions. The sky was turning black and the clouds were thickening. Bucky laid on the couch and listened to the clock on the wall.

Tick-tock-tick-tock

The sound was familiar, so hauntingly familiar. 

Tick-tock-tick-tock 

Bright red fire and black smoke clouds flooded Bucky's mind. He could smell the smoke and feel his lungs close up. 

Tick-tock-tick-tock

He set a lot of them around thousands of buildings. Then, he had to get away, leaving everyone inside for dead. That wasn't his kind of work, usually. He was normally the silent kind. His victims hardly knew what hit them.

Tick-tock-tick-tock 

The sound of people screaming rang in his ears as the deafening explosions made the buildings crumble to the ground. People called out to various deities, their family members, and significant others. 

Tick-tock-tick-tock

Bucky's eyes were screwed shut as debris washed over him. His job was done, he had to leave now. Bodies were scattered haphazardly around the streets. The image was burned into his mind, along with many others like it. 

Tick-tock-tick-tock

" Bucky! Bucky, listen to me!", someone yelled. Bucky was too far gone to make out any discernible words through the fog of his torturous memories.

" I didn't want them to die! I didn't mean it!", he sobbed dryly. He didn't deserve to shed a tear for what he did.

" Bucky, please, you have to listen to me!", someone kept yelling.

Tick-tock-tick-tock 

His breathing was heavy and erratic. His chest burned and his heart pounded. He wasn't supposed to act like this. It was against the rules. Shit, he had to calm down. He had to hide. He was good at that. Yeah, he could hide out for a while where they wouldn't find him. 

Tick-tock-tick-tock 

Bucky's eyes snapped open and he could see the face of a guard across the room. He looked angry, his dark eyes staring and his dark brows furrowed. The guard was yelling, but only muffled, incoherent words came out. Bucky turned to run as fast as he could to any suitable hiding place. He ran down a long corridor with lots of locked doors. Nobody was in sight, that was a good thing. The guard caught up to Bucky, so he hauled ass up the stairs. 

Tick-tock-tick-tock 

The air was cold and Bucky could see his rapid breaths disperse in front of his face. He charged in to the edge of the roof. He could make the jump to the next building, he could do it. He had to get away and hide from the handlers. He could feel the guards behind him. They were telling him to stop, their voices echoed out into the night. The snow was thicker now, but he ran through it like a freight train. His heart threatened to burst through his chest. 

Tick-tock-tick-tock

By some act of the Almighty, Bucky was jerked back from the edge of the roof before he could leap to the next one. He was turned around quickly, the world around him completely different. Tony was in front of him, looking up with a terrified face. Bucky couldn't breathe and he began to panic.

Tick-tock-tick-tock

" Shh, you're fine. You're okay now, I swear.", Tony said softly. Bucky blinked, telling himself he was being chased and the handlers were coming for him, but everything was gone and the bad aftertaste of his memories hung around.

Tick-tock-tick-tock 

" I'm sorry.", he whispered back, almost inaudible. He was still shaking, his eyes stung, and his brain spinning. 

" I know you are.", Tony replied, his voice like silk. With no hesitation, Tony gently brought Bucky into a firm hug. Bucky returned it by squeezing Tony to the point that the shorter man feared his spine would be crushed and he would be paralyzed from the neck down. Tony could feel the uneven breaths of the broken man as they hit his neck and shoulder. All Tony could do was rub reassuring circles on Bucky's back. The cold was forgotten, but the snow fell harder around them.

Tick-tock-tick-tock

" I'm so sorry.", Bucky repeated. Tony didn't bother telling him he had nothing to be sorry for. Everyone tried that before and that only made Bucky sink deeper and deeper into himself. So, Tony hummed in acknowledgement and pulled back. Bucky was reluctant to cease the contact, but followed suit.

" How about we go back inside.", Tony suggested. There were shadows cast on his face and Bucky was terrified of what he'd see when they went into the light. Tony, however, gave no time for protest as he turned around and walked to the door leading to the stairwell. 

Tick-tock-tick-tock

Fortunately, there was no damage done in the hallway. The door to his apartment seemed to be in tact as well. Tony opened it, his hand gripping Bucky's tight, his back still toward the super soldier. Bucky looked around his apartment and saw the damage. The couch was flipped on its back, the coffee table thrown aside, and a lamp was broken. It was minimal, much more manageable that before his therapy. 

" See? Not so bad."

Tick-tock-tick-tock

" Turn around.", Bucky looked at the back of Tony's head. Now, in the light, he could see the messiness of Tony's suit and the dark, disheveled hair.

" Why don't we go to bed?", Tony offered.

Tick-tock-tick-tock

" Turn around.", Bucky said with a lot more sternness and a lot less room for argument. Slowly, Tony obeyed, looking at the floor. Bucky's heart clenched at Tony's unwillingness to look at him. What had he done?

" Look at me.", he grew impatient 

Tick-tock-tick-tock 

Tony raised his head and showed Bucky his bruised face and swollen lip. Bucky didn't breathe, didn't move, didn't live for about ten seconds. Tony sported a blackening eye, bruised, swelling cheek, and a busted, swollen lip. Bucky wanted to ask what he did, but at the same time he didn't want to know. He wanted to hold Tony close and make it up to him somehow, but he couldn't bear to look at him any longer. 

Tick-tock-tick-tock

" Go.", he finally said. Tony nodded and walked out the door.

Boom

All Bucky's hard work flew out the window because of a fucking clock. Jesus, add that to the long, long list of triggers. He moved to the clock on the wall, picked it up, and smashed it against the ground. Why not add to the mess? Why not throw the end table so hard it sticks into the wall? Why not destroy every piece of furniture he owned? That's all he was good for, right? All he did, what he was made for, was destruction and death, and everything Tony did not deserve. 

\--

Tony walked into the kitchen with the intent to quickly get a bottle of watershed some ice and head to the lab. Fate, however, had other plans. In the kitchen stood Clint, Bruce, Steve, and Natasha. Their eyes fell on his face immediately. 

" Hi.", he waved pathetically. 

" What the fuck happened to your face?", Clint blurted out. 

" Uh, had a disagreement with one of the reporters.", he lied. 

" Put some ice on your lip...and your eye...and your cheek.", Natasha made a valiant effort to open the freezer, but she could only do so much with her ribs screwed up and trying to hold herself steady on a cane. Bruce told her to sit down again and got Tony some ice instead. 

" Come with me. I'll put some disinfectant on your lip.", Bruce beckoned Tony out of the kitchen after he handed him the ice wrapped in a towel. Tony followed, placing the ice on his eye first. Once they were in the lab, Bruce stopped and stared at Tony the same way a mother would before she scolded her child. 

" What?"

" You know as well as I do that that bruise did not come from a regular fist.", his voice was even, but stern. Tony rolled his eyes and huffed, leaning against a table.

" I can see the plating separations a mile away and that bruise is getting too dark too early to have come from a regular punch. By the way the bruise looks, I can tell the person used their left hand. That came from someone with a different kind of hand. Maybe, just maybe, a metal hand. Oh gosh, Tony. Who do we both know that has a metal hand?", Bruce sarcastically asked. 

" You're crazy.", Tony made a vain attempt to brush Bruce off.

" What happened? Why did Bucky bash your face in? And I want the truth.", Bruce crossed his arms.

" He had an attack."

" When? Where?", Bruce was suddenly concerned.

" An hour ago, maybe, in his apartment."

" Is he okay? Does he need therapy again? How did it start? Wait, why were you in his apartment?", Bruce stopped firing off questions. Tony cursed himself in his head.

" I just went to...uh...check on him. And I was right to. Who knows what he could have done."

" But how did you know he'd have an attack? Unless you went there for another reason and he just so happened to be having one when you got there.", Bruce deducted. Tony was only diging himself into a deeper hole, but his inability to keep his mouth shut would be his ultimate demise. Especially when he had nothing smart to say.

" Uh...well, I...you see...uh", he stammered.

" Anyway, I still want to put some disinfectant on that lip. And I want to watch that swelling and see if it goes down. I swear, if one more person gets hurt, I quit.", Bruce got a q-tip and applied the medicine. 

" Now go to bed. And I'll go wrap Clint in bubble wrap.", Bruce left the lab.


	6. Chapter 6

Natasha and Steve grew restless in their hospital beds. Nobody had heard anything of Bucky for a month and Tony hadn't left his room for just as long. Bruce and Clint forbade them from getting up because, though they had been on bed rest for a month and a half almost, their injuries were still fragile.

" I can walk. Please, just let me go see Bucky. He hasn't called me back or anything, I have to see if something's wrong.", Steve begged. For a second, Bruce thought the blonde might be on the verge of tears. Still, he refused Steve's request.

" Clint, come on, help me out here.", Steve turned to the archer.

" Nope. Bruce found that fracture in your leg that you didn't know about three days ago. Who knows what else is wrong with you. You're staying here."

" I'm sorry, Steve. If it makes you feel better, I'll try to go to his apartment and ask him to come visit.", Bruce offered. Steve brightened up, but was still noticeably sad. Even Natasha, who had been pouting in her own hospital bed, seemed to like the idea. Bruce nodded and dismissed himself, leaving Clint to babysit.

\--

" Bucky! Bucky, open up! Steve and Natasha want to see you! It's been a month Bucky, they're worried!", Bruce banged on the door. With no answer, Bruce stood in the hall. A woman passed by and he had an idea. He stopped her and asked her for a bobby pin, which she kindly provided. When she was gone, Bruce picked the lock and opened the door. Upon entering, he saw the broken furniture all around the apartment. 

" Bucky.", Bruce called out. Silence greeted him, so he stepped further into the apartment. An end table was stuck in the wall and the coffee table was broken beyond all recognition, the couch was beat up, dented and busted, the tv screen was shattered, and the bedroom door had holes in it. 

" Bucky, it's Bruce.", he called out again. There was a shuffle from the bedroom and the sound of heavy, slow footsteps. Bruce stepped and watched Bucky's lumbering figure lurch from his bedroom. He looked completely unkept. He had a beard growing, dark circles under his eyes, and an expression of rage and sorrow. 

" What are you doing here?", Bucky growled lowly like a threatened animal. 

" Steve and Natasha want to see you. I came here to get you.", Bruce took a step forward, only for Bucky to take a step back into his bedroom. Bruce stopped, understanding what Bucky felt. There was a long, painful silence before the question that had been eating Bucky alive slipped out.

" How are they?"

" Natasha's doing really well. Her ribs are a lot better and her knee is back in place. Steve's shoulder is almost back to full function, but we just found a fracture in his leg the other day, so I've been treating that.", Bruce answered. Bucky nodded, glad to know they were alright. He didn't seem to feel as threatened anymore. He even started to lean against the doorframe.

" They really want to see you, Bucky.", Bruce added sadly. Bucky went back in his room, leaving Bruce to think he was back at square one. He heard things moving around, something being tossed, and quick footsteps. Bucky emerged in new clothes and headed for the bathroom. Bruce followed him and saw Bucky taking an electric razor out of the cabinet.

" You know how to use an electric razor?", Bruce cocked his head to the side.

" Blades make me bump up and I couldn't stop cutting my damn chin. This thing is a lot easier.", he shaved the beard away, hair falling in the sink. He cleaned up an turned to Bruce.

" Is this okay?"

" Yeah, you look fine.", Bruce nodded. They left the apartment and headed for the tower.

\--

Natasha tapped her fingers against the bed impatiently. Clint brought up their lunch and tried forcing them both to eat, despite their arguments to wait until Bucky arrived. The thought of prying their mouths open with a crowbar crossed his mind, but he thought better of it. 

" Clint, Dr. Banner would like to see you in the main laboratory.", JARVIS reported. Clint exited the medical bay and saw Bruce and Bucky standing there.

" Hey, Bucky! How ya been? Those two really missed you. Wouldn't stop asking about you. It's good to see you.", Clint clapped Bucky on the back. 

" It's good to see you, too.", Bucky replied.

" Why'd you want me out here, Bruce?", Clint looked to the doctor.

" Are they in any shape to have company right now. They should have taken the anti-inflammatories and pain killers. Those make them fall asleep. They should have eaten first, though.", Bruce rose an eyebrow to his self titled nurse.

" I told them to eat, but they said they wouldn't until Bucky came.", Clint said with a groan. Bruce exhaled heavily, but allowed Bucky to walk into the medical bay.

" Just make sure they eat and take their medicine.", Bruce whispered to him before he entered.

" Bucky!", Steve cheered. He smiled brightly as Bucky neared the bed.

" Where have you been?", Natasha smacked Bucky with her cane.

" I tried calling you, but you didn't pick up. Who knows, maybe I was calling the wrong person. God knows I still haven't figured this thing out.", Steve gestured to the phone next to him. Guilt washed over Bucky as he took a seat in a chair between Steve and Natasha's beds. 

" I, uh, I had a flashback. Been working it out back home. I'm fine now, though.", Bucky half lied.

" You were doing so well.", Natasha all but whimpered.

" Yeah, it's shitty, I know. Just can't be around clocks anymore, apparently.", a chuckle left Bucky's chest, trying to lighten the mood.

" Hey, none of this sad stuff, alright? What's new out in the world? Being stuck up here is boring.", Steve changed the subject.

" Same as before you two mindlessly went on a mission with no questions asked into an up and coming HYDRA facility.", Bucky snapped.

" Not this again.", Steve groaned.

" Yes, this again. I'm starting to think you don't have a brain, or the ability to think ahead. I didn't lose an arm for you to throw yourself into unnecessary amounts of danger at every opportunity.", Bucky chastised.

" According to Fury, you came to get us without a second thought.", Natasha retorted.

" Because you two were half dead.", Bucky fired back.

" Hey! What did I just say? This is supposed to be a happy reunion. No arguing.", Steve chided.

" Yeah, sure. Oh, I'm supposed to make sure you eat and take some medicine.", Bucky looked around the room for said food and medicine.

" Over on that counter. The blue pill sets rated is mine, the red one is Steve's. Our soup is in the fridge.", Natasha instructed.

" You eat cold soup?", Bucky made a less than pleased face.

" Yeah, its fine.", Steve shrugged.

" I'll go heat it up, give me a minute.", he went to the kitchen and put the soup in the microwave. While he waited, Bruce came to join him.

" Are they alright?", Bruce asked.

" They're fine, just dumb.", Bucky joked. Bruce could sense Bucky's uneasiness, his want to ask about Tony.

" He misses you, too.", Bruce said. Bucky tensed, jaw clenching as he searched for something to say.

" Why?"

" What do you mean?"

" Why would he miss me after what I did?", the memory of his actions was enough for his, heart to race and his face to turn bright red, not that Bruce saw as he turned his back toward the curly haired man. The soup was ready and Bucky was gone before Bruce had a chance to say anything else.

\--

Tony sat curled in his bed, back against the bed rest. It was dark in the room, the curtains drawn tight. The evening was approaching and he prepared for another sleepless night.

" Sir, there has been a request for access to your bedroom.", JARVIS said. 

" Who is it?", Tony responded a minute later.

" It's me, Tony.", a voice came from the other side of the door. At the speed of light, Tony was up and at the door, opening it with such strength that it almost flew off the hinges.

" Bucky." Tony breathed. Bucky stood back from the door, his hands clasped behind him, the toe of his shoe bouncing on the floor nervously. Yes, in his current, vulnerable state, going up to Tony's room was beyond a bold move, but now hat he was here, he had no idea what to do.

" Tony, I-"

" Shut up."

" Bu-"

" No, me first. You don't get to almost jump off of a building, shut me out for a month, and come back unnanounced like this. You don't get to have my heart in your hands and suddenly drop it without an explanation. I understand the flashback thing, okay, it happens to me, too, but I don't disappear. I don't know what I was to you, but you were everything to me. I called, I texted, I tried to stop by a few times, but you never once reached out to me. I was so fucking worried, Bucky.", tears streamed down Tony's cheeks as he talked. Bucky stood and absorbed every word that came out of Tony's mouth.

" I'm so sorry, Tony. When I...did what I did, I didn't think you'd ever want to hear from me again. I thought I crossed a line, and I did, but I-I couldn't stand the thought of hurting you once and I didn't realize I was doing it again. And you mean everything to me, too, Tony. I love you.", the words slipped out. Tony stood in shock and Bucky wanted the floor to swallow him up. Tony's silence didn't make him feel any better. 

" Listen, I-"

" You love me?", Tony sounded like he couldn't believe the concept.

" I...Yes, yes I do.", Bucky said with a touch more confidence. Tony threw himself forward and caught Bucky in a long, deep, passionate kiss. They only separated when the need to breathe became harder to ignore.

" I love you, too.", Tony said. 

" Good, kinda felt like I was alone. You know, until you tried to suck my soul out just now.", Bucky smiled. The quiet that followed was bittersweet. So much had been said, but there was so much left to say. Tony pulled Bucky to the bed gently, both laying side by side, just staring at the ceiling. 

" What do we do now?", Tony asked.

" I think we have to tell people.", Bucky replied with great distaste.

" Bruce and Fury already know. Just have to tell Clint, Natasha, and Steve."

" Oh, joy.", Bucky grimaced. 

" Tomorrow.", Tony yawned. He felt at peace with Bucky close to him again. His eyes dropped and he fell into a deep sleep for the first time in a long, long time. Not half a minute later, Bucky did the same.

\--

" And this had been going on for how long?", Clint gestured between Tony and Bucky.

" About two or three months officially.", Tony answered.

" And why didn't you say anything sooner?", Natasha piped up.

" The situation and timing were a little off.", Bucky said. They had been sitting for approximately two hours explaining everything. In all that time, Steve hadn't said one word. Bucky could clearly see the confusion etched into Steve's face. Tony saw how this troubled Bucky.

" Say something, Steve, anything. Please.", Tony promoted. A minute passed before Steve took in a deep breath and spoke. Everyone waited anxiously for what he had to say.

" You're happy, Bucky?", he asked and Bucky nodded firmly.

" Then I say congratulations.", he smiled broadly. A weight felt like it was lifted off of Tony and Bucky's shoulders. 

" Thanks, Steve.", Bucky and Tony's hands found each other, fingers locking tight. Natasha and Clint are just as supportive as the blonde super soldier. Bruce and Fury stood outside the medical bay with pleased expressions on their faces. 

" So, when are you going to ask Clint and Tony about that mission?", Bruce inquired.

" I'll give it some time. Maybe an hour.", the director shrugged.


	7. Chapter 7

This was bad. This was very, very bad. One little job, it should have been so simple. How did they not see this coming? Clint crawled across the weapons warehouse floor, his head whipping around to see if there were any more soldiers. He could see Tony's body against the walll at the other end of the gigantic room. He was deathly still in his suit. Clint belly crawled faster, bow in hand.

" Tony!", he whispered harshly when he reached him. Tony didn't respond. Half of his helmet was torn off and the metal suit was bent and broken. Some pieces dug into the billionaire's skin. 

" Tony, come on, wake up.", Clint shook Tony. Tony's head rolled and he coughed. Blood sputtered out of his mouth, running down his chin and neck. 

" Shit.", Clint mumbled. Heavy footsteps from the Latverian soldiers echoed across the warehouse. Clint grabbed an arrow from his quiver and aimed it. They were partially hidden behind a shelf of missiles, but he wanted to be prepared if they were found. Clint's breathing stilled, his eyes flickered left and right. He heard talking, but it was unclear, not that he particularly cared what they were saying. The footsteps disappeared and they were alone again. 

\--

" Find me a signal before my foot finds your ass!", Fury bellowed from his platform high above the SHIELD agents. Everyone hurried around, trying to find Clint and Tony's signals that had been lost three hours previous. 

" I thought you said this was an easy mission.", Bruce barked.

" They've been gone for seven hours. You were losing their signal long before that. Doom probably knew they were coming. He probably has them.", Natasha panicked. She and Clint hated going on separate missions and she became increasingly nervous as the minutes passed.

" Do you see me trying? There's only so much we can do from here. Clint and Tony know what they're doing, they're not rookies. We'll get them back.", Fury turned to them.

" You better hope Bucky doesn't find out.", Natasha replied hotly. Bruce's eyebrows raised as he pictured the damage that would be done if Bucky found out Tony had been lost and unresponsive for seven hours.

" I hope and pray with every fiber of my being that that doesn't happen.", Fury said.

\--

" Hey, Tony's coming back today, right?", Steve asked through a mouthful of pumpkin pie.

" Yeah.", Bucky replied, watching his friend demolish the pie.

" You gonna do something special? He's been gone for three days."

" I don't know, probably.", Bucky thought.

" You don't seem so excited.", Steve's shoulders dropped.

" I haven't heard that much about Tony. Fury said he'd keep me updated, but that was quick to end. Guess I'm just worried. I shouldn't be worried, should I? He's done this before.", Bucky rested his head on his arms, which were propped up on the table. 

" Yeah, he's fine. Just busy is all.", Steve are another piece of pie. 

" I just hope he gets back before Thanksgiving.", Bucky sighed.

" Turkey's not the only thing you're gonna eat, huh?", Steve joked.

" Shut up!"

\--

Tony couldn't breathe. His inhales were shaky and broken and his exhales were painful and slow. He could tell Clint didn't know he was conscious, but he had more pressing matters to deal with. The soldiers were back and were scouring the warehouse from top to bottom. He aimed his arrows and silently picked off each soldier one by one. Tony wanted to help, but he was immobile at the moment. He could feel pieces of his suit digging into his muscles and his bones. 

" We're fine, Tones. We're gonna get outta here.", Clint's voice wavered. Blood ran down his shoulders as he disrupted his wounds with his frantic movements. Tony wanted to respond so badly, but his throat felt like it was on fire. His vision became blurry and dark as he moved his eyes around, taking in his crumbling surroundings.

" They're gone!", a soldier called out. They left again for, hopefully, the last time. Clint scrambled over to Tony.

" I swear, Tony, I'll be right back.", Clint shot up and ran toward the open loading bay door. He weaved through crates and barrels, unseen by the soldiers. He ran to the jet hidden in the dense forests surrounding the warehouse.

" Come on, dammit.", he growled at the communications on the ship. Nothing was getting through to SHIELD. He tried longer than he probably should have to get a signal to Fury. He raced back to Tony's side. Tony, even in his deeply injured, barely conscious state, seemed very adamant, barely able to point to what he wanted Clint to notice.

" What're you saying?", Clint grasped Tony's arm to still the man's movements. Tony exhaled harshly, his lungs convulsing sharply. Again, more fervently this time, he thrust his arm as best he could in the direction of the fire alarm. 

" Pull it?", Clint guessed. Tony attempted at a nod, them patted his hip. Clint knew what he meant then. He'd seen the com links connected to the soldiers' hips. 

" Got it, pal.", Clint gave a smirk and was off. He skulked over to the fire alarm and pulled it. Alarms blared, lights flashed, and doors closed. The few remaining soldiers in the warehouse raced out. One of the soldiers fell behind and Clint shot him in the neck with an arrow. He fell to the ground with a dull thud. Clint fetched his com link and took it back to Tony. Unfortunately, even his little movements were too much. Tony's half closed eyes were rolled back in his head and he was unresponsive again.

" Fuck!", his desperation echoed out. By the grace of God, he managed to get the thing to work.

" This is Agent Knowles with SHIELD. How did you get this link?"

" This is Clint Barton. I need backup a medic. I am on assignment 00967 by Director Nick Fury. I need backup and a medic.", he all but yelled into the com link. There was a commotion on the other end, then Fury's voice.

" What's going on, Barton?"

" We destroyed the weapon, but Tony's not doing so good. He's messed up real bad, he's not responding, he-"

" How are you, Barton?"

" Not me, Tony needs-"

" Answer me.", Fury demanded. He could hear Clint breathing heavily, beginning to panic. 

" Clint, listen to me.", a new voice came over the com link. 

" Tasha.", he said breathlessly.

" Are you hurt?", she asked gently.

" I-I can't really feel my shoulder. I can still move it, but it's all blue. And my legs hurt, too. Tasha, everything is so bad. We got found out. Doom knew we were coming. He ambushed us.", his voice shook.

" Okay, Clint, we're going to get you some help.", Natasha reassured. 

" Hurry. Please, hurry.", Clint begged.

\--

Steve boarded the helicarrier and was immediately offput by all the commotion. He marched straight to Fury.

" What's going on?"

" We're going to save Tony and Clint.", Fury didn't even turn to look at Steve as he directed agents and jets around.

" Save them? What happened?"

" Doom knew they were coming to get his weapons."

" Are they alright?"

" Steve, I have a job for you.", he finally turned to look at the worried man.

" Your job is to make sure Bucky gets no wind of this. He is not to step one foot onto the helicarrier or into Stark Tower. Is that understood?", Fury asked. Steve hesitated, but nodded.

" Y-Yes, sir. I can do that.", he raced back to his jet and made his way back to New York. His mind was all over the place. What if they were hurt? What if they were dead? He didn't think he could handle that, much less the team, or Bucky. This was going to be a long day.

\--

Clint could hear the gunfire and explosions outside. He sat next to Tony, glued to his side with his bow ready. The fighting had been going on for about an hour when it suddenly stopped. Clint froze, his breathing halted. Then, the doors burst open and SHIELD agents poured in by the dozen. A team of medics was shortly by Clint and Tony's side. They moved Tony onto a stretcher and tried to patch Clint up. However, the archer refused to leave Tony. He stubbornly, but weakly defied the medics. They were boarded on a jet together and flown back to the helicarrier. Bruce demanded that he see Clint and Tony, saying he could offer some help, but the medical bay doors shut in his face. 

" Let them do their work.", Fury quietly consoled Bruce. He and Natasha were forced to wait. This was Bruce's second time in the holding room, waiting to find out what kind of damage had been done to his friends. Fury came into the holding room a while later with some information about the mission.

" Clint said they destroyed the weapon, but they were ambushed in the warehouse. The soldiers were definitely Latverian.", Fury reported.

" What did Doom need that for, anyway.", Natasha spat.

" He wanted to bomb cities in Hungary. He was trying to invade and we were asked to intervene.", Fury answered. They remained silent until an agent entered the room.

" Clint is clear to leave. He's been given stitches, pain killers, and anti inflammatories.", she said stiffly.

" And Tony?", Bruce inquired.

" We haven't heard anything from the medics, yet. Sorry.", she left the room. Natasha got up to visit Clint. She saw him waiting outside Tony's room. She moved toward him quickly with a purpose.

" Hey.", he said when he saw her.

" You're not allowed to scare me like that. We talked about this.", she barked.

" You think you didn't scare me when you and Steve were hurt?", Clint fired back.

" What happened?"

" We came in and secured the warehouse. The weapon thingy was just sitting there, like bait. Tony destroyed it. That was supposed to be the end of it, but then the whole place went up in flames. By the time the fires went out, Tony was busted up real bad. I don't really remember what happened. I don't want to.", Clint said slowly. Natasha's eyes went from Clint to the floor and back. 

" As long as you're okay."

" I am, don't you worry about me.", he smiled. The smile contrasted starkly with his bandaged and slung arm, wrapped shoulder, splinted leg, and various amounts of gauze plugging wounds scattered around his body.

" Bruce is going to throw a fit.", Natasha smirked.

\--

" Steve, let go."

" I'm just saying, that movie looks pretty good."

" We saw it yesterday."

" You liked it, why not see it again?"

" What is your problem?", Bucky snapped, turning fully to Steve and yanking his arm out of the blonde's grip.

" Nothing, I'm just trying to have fun.", Steve answered too quickly.

" Many things you are, Steve, but a good liar isn't one of them.", Bucky squinted. Blue met blue and Steve became nervous. He was a truthful man and only kept secrets for the greater good. This, though, didn't feel right. 

" You know something.", Bucky stepped forward, compelling Steve to step back. 

" What? No, I don't."

" Whatever, Steve. I'll find out eventually.", Bucky turned back around, walking further down the sidewalk. Steve felt the wind against his slightly sweat coated skin and his flushed cheeks.

" If you want to see that movie again so bad, you better hurry up.", Bucky called. Steve caught up to him quickly, cursing Fury for giving him this job. Natasha would be so much better at this.

\--

" We have given him multiple bone and skin grafts, reassembled some muscle tissue, and reset any broken bones. He is facing a long road ahead of him, but I see no reason why he shouldn't make a full recovery.", the doctor told Bruce.

" Did you give a blood transfusion?", Bruce asked sternly, like he didn't trust the doctor.

" Yes, it's happening right now. I wouldn't advise that he be taken home just yet, he'll be in a lot of pain if he's moved."

" I would like to get him home as soon as possible, though. Tony's never been too fond of sitting in hospital beds."

" Of course.", the doctor nodded and left. Bruce was left to himself, free to overthink and overanalyze Tony's recovery. 

" Don't go driving yourself up the wall, Banner. Eat a sandwich.", Fury tossed the food to Bruce.

" How can I not? Steve and Natasha have barely gotten out of physical therapy and now this. Not to mention how badly Bucky will react. I'm not saying that I have a problem with their relationship, but it was easier when Bucky couldn't publicly freak out over Tony. Now, he'll personally kick Doom's ass for this.", Bruce put his face in his palm. Fury nodded, seeing Bruce's point.

" That's why I told Steve to keep him busy."

" You know he'll find out. He always does."

" Maybe, but I bought us a little time until then.", suddenly, there was a crash.

" What the hell do you mean Tony's hurt?", came from the hangar.

\--

" I told you not to tell him!", Fury yelled.

" I didn't! I don't know how he found out, but he got away for two seconds and the next thing you know, I hear he's in the helicarrier.", Steve replied.

" You better come get him. He's starting all kinds of trouble over here.", Fury watched as Bucky was physically restrained from bursting into Tony's room. Fury hung up the phone and started yelling again.

" Why on God's green earth are you pitching a fit?", Fury stomped over to where nine agents were trying to hold Bucky back from the medical bay.

" I want to see him!"

" And I want a medium rare steak with a side of potatoes. We don't always get what we want.", he snapped. Bucky shook off the agents easily, coming face to face with Fury, their noses inches apart.

" You let me see him or I'll throw you off this damn thing."

" You throw me off this damn thing and you're back in the freezer and no closer to Tony than you are to him now.", Bucky's eyes widened in realization and he backed away from Fury. He was, by no means, any less angry, but he was, at the very least, manageable. He waited not so patiently for hours. However, the hours soon turned to days without any word on Tony's condition. Three days passed before the doctor said something.

" Mr. Barnes, I was told you were Mr. Stark's emergency contact, or as close to one as he would have."

" Yes, I am.", Bucky stood from his seat in the holding room.

" He is able to go back home. He is not to stand for too long, bend over, lift anything over three pounds, or lay on his right side. I've made a list with everything else in greater detail. I've also sent one to Stark Tower. JARVIS should know what I'm talking about.", the doctor handed Bucky a piece of paper. 

" I also understand that Tony is known to spend an unhealthy amount of hours in his laboratory without food. That is absolutely unexceltable until he is healed. It's unexceptable at all, really, but there is only so much we can do.", the doctor added. 

" Can I see him?"

" He's being taken to a jet. You can ride home with him."

" Thank you.", Bucky was off toward the hangar.


	8. Chapter 8

" Do you, James, take Anthony to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish, 'til death do you part?"

" I do.", Bucky held on to Tony's hand tightly as he placed the gold band on his left ring finger.

" Do you, Anthony, take James to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish, 'til death do you part?"

" I do.", he slid the ring on Bucky's metal finger, chuckling when it made a small 'ting'.

" You may now share a kiss.", Tony and Bucky embraced and everyone in the church erupted in celebration. Rice and rose petals flew into the air. Torrun, the flower girl and Thor's daughter, and Azari, the ring bearer and T'challa's son, tossed handfuls of rose petals behind Tony and Bucky as they exited the church and into the blinding sunlight outside.

\--

Bruce did all he could to save Tony. Something had gone wrong, a stray bone fragment from his injuries going places it wasn't supposed to, and the billionaire was back in surgery. He mumbled, even under heavy anesthesia, drawing Bruce's attention away from the task at hand for half a second.

" Always talking, huh?", the joke was just enough to keep Bruce from Hulk-ing out in the middle of the med bay. Tony continued to babble incoherently with his abdomen wide open and Bruce digging around inside, searching for the tiny bone fragment that nearly killed Tony.

" Gotcha, ya little bastard.", Bruce picked up the fragment with the surgical tweezers and placed it on a metal plate beside him. He closed Tony back up and let the anesthesia wear off. He went to report the successful surgery to his waiting teammates.

\--

Tony woke up slowly, his vision blurry and dim. He blinked several times, but it did little to help. He heard people talking, but they sounded muffled and far away. He noticed the soreness in his abdomen and tried to adjust his laying position.

" Don't move.", or something along those lines, faintly reached his ears. He tilted his head and saw a brown, blurry, assumingly curly mass of hair that he guessed was Bruce's.

" How do you feel?", Tony barely made the question out. He didn't answer, just offered a thumbs up.

" You talked more during surgery than you are now.", Bruce was speaking with more emphasis now, probably knowing that Tony couldn't hear him that well. 

" You got some visitors.", a blurry arm gestures to the fuzzy hole in the wall that was the doorway. In walked three figures. The biggest one, Steve, shuffled to the bedside, while the other two remained at the foot of the bed.

" How is he?", a feminine voice, Natasha's, asked.

" He can't really hear too well and, judging by the way he's squinting, can't see too well, either. He'll be a little loopy for a while, too.", Bruce answered.

" Is that normal?", a deeper voice asked. Tony wasn't sure who it was.

" Just some side effects from the anesthesia. It should go away by tomorrow.", Bruce reassured. Tony was happy to see Natasha, Steve, and who he assumed was Clint, but he wanted to see his husband.

" B-ky...", he attempted.

" What's he saying?", Natasha asked. 

" I don't know.", Bruce shrugged, nearing the bed.

" B-ky.", he said with more force, but it didn't come out any clearer. The indiscernible arms of one of the figures at the foot of the bed, Clint's figure, moved rapidly and Tony knew he was doing sign language.

" He can't see that, Clint.", Natasha chided. To their utter and complete surprise, Tony lifted his hand and signed a very clear 'B-U-C-K-Y'.

" He wants to know where Bucky is.", Steve said.

" He got kicked out of the laboratory.", Bruce answered hotly.

" We should bring him in.", Steve suggested.

" You think he's ready?", Clint asked.

" If he's aware enough to spell his name out in sign language, I think he's ready to see his boyfriend.", Natasha went outside to get Bucky. Tony was confused as to why Natasha referred to Bucky as his boyfriend when he distinctly remembered them getting married, but he let out a sigh, relieved they got the gist of his message. It was quiet for a minute.

" Where did you learn sign language?", Clint piped up. Unfortunately, sleep claimed Tony shortly after.

\--

Again, Tony opened his eyes to the same blurry room. Though his vision was still less than desirable, his hearing had cleared up a lot, albeit a little muffled still. He could make out Bucky's mass of brown hair and the red star on his left arm. Tony weakly reached out for it. 

" Hey, doll.", came Bucky's voice, riddled with fatigue and worry.

" H'llo.", Tony replied. Maybe it was his eyes, but he couldn't see the gold wedding ring on Bucky's finger. He began to pull Bucky's hand closer and fervently grasped at where the ring was supposed to be. 

" What are you doing?", Bucky asked with a certain degree of amusement.

" W'er's yer r'ng?", Tony slurred.

" I'm sorry. What?", Bucky asked. Tony gestured at Bucky's hand.

" Ring.", it came out much more coherently that time.

" What about a ring?", Bucky pressed, now totally confused. For what seemed like the hundredth time, Tony pointed to his left ring finger. 

" W'd'ng r'ng.", he slurred again. 

" Wedding ring?", Bucky clarified. Tony nodded furiously. 

" Doll, I don't have a wedding ring. Neither do you.", Bucky lifted Tony's own left hand and his thumb grazed the bare skin of his finger. What Bucky assumed was a gasp escaped Tony. Tony looked back at Bucky with moon-sized brown eyes.

" We 'rn't m'rr'd?"

" I can't understand you.", Bucky emphasized. In frustration, Tony lazily picked up something off the bedside table and attempted to throw it in the direction of the door in an effort to get someone's attention.

" Don't! You just had surgery, doll. You can't thrown things.", Bucky took the thing away and set it back on the table.

" Wait a minute, I'll be right back.", Bucky's fuzzy figure left the room. Tony let out a small whimper at the thought of being alone. A minute later, Bucky came back dragging Bruce behind him. 

" He's saying stuff, but I can't understand it.", Bucky huffed. 

" You dragged me in here to tell me you don't know what he's saying. I already knew that. You said it was something serious. I thought he was dying again!", Bruce exploded. 

" This is serious! I think he thinks we're married.", Bucky fired back.

" What?"

" He was looking for a ring on my finger and he just about cried when I told him we didn't have rings.", Bucky explained. Bruce was silent, his hand going up to scratch it his chin as he thought hard about something. Finally, he left the room for a second to return with a clipboard and a pen. He handed it to Tony and sat down in the chair by the bed.

" When did you get married, Tony?", Bruce asked and Bucky rolled his eyes. Tony had to think for a moment. He knew he'd been badly injured a week ago, but he was fine at the wedding. Clint was there, too and he wasn't wearing the cast that he had on his foot or the bandages on his arms. His heavily medicated brain somehow managed to come up with an answer. With a shaky hand, he wrote 'T-H-U-R-S-D-A-Y'.

" You got married Thursday? Who was there?", Bruce continued. Tony rolled his eyes.

" Oo! 'N 'Tev 'n 'lint 'n 'asha-"

" We were there?", Tony nodded furiously again, sure to give himself some sort of brain damage.

" Bruce, what are-"

" Bucky, can I talk to you? Outside.", Bruce pushed Bucky outside and closed to door to the med bay. They were in the main part of the laboratory now.

" I think he had a dream while in surgery. Sometimes, those dreams can be very real for the person. I guess we'll have to wait until the anesthesia wears off and explain to him that you're not married."

" So what am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

" Play husband, I guess. Once he falls asleep, it should all go away.", Bruce said. Bucky sighed and went back to join Tony. The genius didn't look too happy when Bucky came back.

" Hey.", he didn't receive a reply this time.

" So we got married.", Bucky clapped his hands together awkwardly and sat in the chair again. When Tony nodded, it wasn't fast and deliberate like it had been. It was slow and had a 'Yes, you fucking idiot, you were there' undertone to it.

" What was the wedding like?", Bucky asked stupidly. Tony tore away the used piece of paper and drew out the scene of the wedding. It looked less like a drawing and more like a blueprint. It was a view from above with little squares where the seats, Bucky assumed that what they were, were supposed to be with people's names scrawled inside. Bucky read the names aloud.

" Wade Wilson, Reed Richards, Stephen Strange, Peter Parker, Peter Quil, Ororo Munroe, Susan Storm, Warren Worthington III.", Tony continued to draw. Bucky, infinitely more interested now, leaned closer. Based on the drawing, they got married in a church with flowers everywhere and sashes over the doors and along the walls. Apparently, there was also a stained glass window, of the label 'Big Ass Colory Window' meant anything.

" Jesus, Tony.", he said quietly. With the amount of detail in the drawing, Bucky almost second guessed his own insistence that they hadn't gotten married. Once he was finished, Tony thrust the paper into Bucky's face. 

" Yeah, I can see it.", Bucky snatched the paper. Tony crossed his arms over his chest, pouting like a toddler. Bucky examined the paper closer. He set in aside when he heard Tony yawn. His eyes closed and he fell fast asleep. Bucky smiled and stayed there with Tony until morning.

\--

" Come on! Let me see the paper. Tasha, tell Bucky to let me see what's in his pocket."

" My foot's gonna see what's in your-"

" Hey, Tony's awake!"

" No thanks to you guys.", he mumbled.

" And we can understand what he's saying!", Clint shoved his fists in the air. Tony could see his friends clearly now and he could hear them just fine.

" How are you feeling?", Steve asked.

" Fine.", Tony said. It wouldn't be a complete lie if tired, sore, and lightheaded counted as fine.

" That's good to hear.", Natasha said. Bruce looked at all the monitors hooked up to Tony.

" Everything seems fine. Your vitals are all in order. A week or two of bedrest and you should be good to go.", he reported.

" Two weeks of bedrest? Come on, Bruce, you know how restless I get.", he complained.

" Your other injuries still have to heal and your stitches have to dissolve.", Bruce reminded Tony. 

" We could go destroy another Latverian weapon of mass destruction and be on bedrest forever, pal.", Clint spoke up. Bucky growled at the mention of the mission gone wrong.

" That's still a sensitive subject.", Natasha told Tony. They talked for a while, then left Tony and Bucky to themselves. 

" So what is in your pocket?", Tony inquired.

" You don't remember?", Bucky questioned.

" Should I?", Tony was handed a folded up piece of paper. Instantly, he knew what it was.

" Oh yeah, I remember that dream.", he said softly.

" You thought we were married for about an hour.", Bucky chuckled. Tony smirked as he continued to stare at the paper. Bucky could see the longing on Tony's eyes from a mile away. He knew it wasn't just a silly dream and some anesthesia that made Tony act the way he did and, if he was honest with himself, he felt the same. He didn't say anything, though. He didn't know why he kept quiet, but it felt like the appropriate thing to do.

" You hungry?", Bucky offered.

" Little bit.", Tony quit telling Bucky he wasn't hungry long ago, knowing Bucky could tell whether he was or not anyway. 

" I'll grab you something from the kitchen.", he left for a little while. Tony folded the paper again and held it in his hands. He eyes the trash can next to the bed. He didn't have the strength to throw it away. 

\--

" Alright, Tony, you are a free man.", Bruce helped Tony out of bed two weeks later. Steve brought him some clothes and he changed out of the hospital gown. He rejoiced at his freedom and was ushered to the living room, the heavy cast on his busted leg slowed him down. Bucky stood there and a wide smile and flowers. 

" Bruce says you're well enough for a date.", he gave Tony a dozen red roses. They reminded Tony of the ones in his dream. A bittersweet feeling overtook him, but he held them to his nose and inhaled deeply as Bucky took his hand a led him to the garage. 

They got inside Bucky's car, a black Maserati, and drove around New York City. 

" Where are we going?", Tony asked.

" Some place.", Bucky glanced at Tony, who still held the roses tight to his chest. They arrived at a restaurant, five star, or course, and Tony and Bucky were seated by the expensive looking fish tank, secretly Tony's favorite spot in any restaurant.

" So I really thought that we got married?", Tony started, eyes following a bright yellow fish.

" Yeah, you were out of it for a while.", Bucky answered.

" Really?"

" Mhmm, you were looking for my wedding ring."

" I guess I looked kinda stupid, huh?", Tony had yet to look at Bucky.

" No, not really. It was actually kind of cute. Tell me, Tony. Did it look anything like this?", Bucky pulled out a black velvet box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a plain gold band nestled atop white, ruffled silk. 

" Bucky...", he said breathlessly. Bucky was next to him on one knee. Tony was suddenly grateful they were seated away from the other customers.

" Anthony Stark, will you marry me?", Bucky's bright smile was blinding. 

" Yes!", Tony answered without hesitation. They shared a sweet, deep, passionate kiss. Then, Bucky slid the ring on Tony's finger, where it fit perfectly.


End file.
